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Media Centre

 

Savour the season: A healthier connection with food over the holidays

The holiday season is a wonderful time to enjoy your favourite dishes while celebrating with loved ones. It can also be a challenging time to navigate feelings of guilt along with well-meaning, yet often unwelcome comments from family and friends about diet and body image.  Finding a balance between enjoying festive occasions and maintaining a healthy relationship with food is important to your health and well-being this holiday season. Enjoy the celebration  Cayla Olynyk, a Calgary Foothi…

Weathering winter: Strategies for coping with seasonal affective disorder

The change in seasons brings on colder temperatures and shorter, darker days. If you’ve ever found yourself consistently feeling sad, more irritable, and lacking energy during the winter months, you may be one of the many people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). What is seasonal affective disorder? SAD is a type of depression linked to specific seasons, most commonly occurring in the winter months. Researchers are still determining the cause of SAD, but believe it is…

Diabetes awareness month

  If you’re one of the 5.7 million Canadians living with diabetes, you understand the daily challenges of managing it. November is Diabetes Awareness Month in Canada and we are putting a spotlight on the FREE resources available through the Calgary Foothills PCN to support people with diabetes. Our team is here to help The PCN’s health team members work collaboratively with each other and your family doctor. Our health team support those with diabetes or pre-diabetes and in…

Strategies to improve your sleep hygiene

Many people struggle to get a good night’s rest, which can lead to frustration and negative effects on your wellbeing. Our Primary Health Care professionals stress the personalized nature of sleep – the amount of sleep we need varies from individual to individual. By incorporating sleep hygiene strategies that fit your needs, you can improve the quality of your sleep leading to improved mood, energy levels and overall health. Daytime activities make a difference Spending time in nat…

Best Weight: Prioritizing health over weight loss

Health care is for everybody of every size. Health professionals — including those at Primary Care Networks (PCNs) — are embracing a patient-centred Best Weight approach to obesity management thanks to research and education. Out is the fixation on the weigh scale which can lead to weight bias which can result in weight stigma and discrimination. In is the Best Weight approach focuses on healthy and sustainable lifestyle changes. “Rather than focusing on weight outcomes, we suggest …
 
A woman holding her hand up in a stop sign, with a vape pen in the other hand, to signify stopping vaping.

Vaping: learn the risks, get support

Vaping devices draw people in with bright colours as a candy shop and as many flavours as an ice cream parlour — a far cry from traditional cigarettes and their impossible-to-miss warning labels, which will soon be on the cigarettes themselves. But as vaping grows in popularity, it’s hard to ignore the long list of health risks including nicotine addiction and lung disease. Vaping is the act of inhaling an aerosol produced by vape mods, vapourizers, e-cigarettes or vape pens. Vaping pr…
 

World Breastfeeding Week

Breastfeeding is a personal choice – not all parents will choose or be able to breastfeed for a variety of reasons. For those who are struggling or need additional support, Calgary Foothills Primary Care Network (PCN) can help. August 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week, a global campaign which raises awareness for the health benefits of breastfeeding. The benefits of breastfeeding Alberta Health Services says breast milk can provide babies with vitamins and minerals for optimal grow…
 
A person holding a pride flag

Navigating primary health care: LGBTQ+ patients

For Alberta’s LGBTQ+ population, finding a family doctor who understands and can support their unique primary care needs is easier said than done. With unique health concerns that span sexual health, mental health, screenings, medication and more, it can be a tough system to navigate — especially for those who are just beginning to self-identify. June is Pride Month: a movement that commemorates and celebrates the self-affirmation, dignity, equality and increased visibility of LGBTQ+ peop…
 

Taking a proactive approach to your health care

The best way to improve your health is by taking a proactive approach – at home, this means you are getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, managing stress and maintaining a healthy diet. But there are other ways to take action to stay well. Periodic medical checkups help you manage chronic health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, get proper screening for cancer and other diseases and find mental and physical health supports and resources. Recently, a Calgary clinic…
 

Blue Monday: mental health support is available

The start of a new year can be a challenging transition following the holiday season as social calendars quiet down, bills arrive and long winter nights continue to bring chilly temperatures. These factors and others associated with the post-holiday letdown can trigger heavy feelings of sadness, despair, uncertainty and discouragement. If you’re feeling this way, chances are you are not alone. It’s a difficult time for many and mental health issues are said to culminate on the third Mo…
 

Almond, oat, coconut – which is the best alternative to cow’s milk?

When you get a craving for a tall, ice-cold glass of milk, but have a dairy milk allergy, intolerance or diet restriction, what do you do? Many people face this problem. Thanks to the rising popularity of plant-based beverages, there are endless options to choose from at the grocery store. To help navigate the growing options, a team of registered dietitians at Calgary Foothills PCN recently rose to the challenge, setting out to find the most delicious and nutritionally balanced, plant-based …

Calgary Foothills PCN to run both in-person and virtual workshops

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Calgary Foothills PCN moved to offer our free workshops online to support your health needs. With health restrictions now lifted, the PCN is preparing to offer in-person workshops again as well as virtual. Each workshop will rotate between the two formats to accommodate various learning preferences and patient locations. Upcoming in-person workshops This fall, several in-person workshops are being re-introduced. See dates and times below: Happiness Bas…

Foothills Primary Care Centre changes

As of April 1, 2023, Calgary Foothills Primary Care Network no longer manages the Foothills Primary Care Centre. The family physicians at the clinic manage their own clinic —  Foothills Primary Care. Phone: 403-221-9340 Fax: 403-221-9336 Website: foothillspc.ca Address: Unit #335, 3917 University Ave NW Will I continue to have access to the Access 365 after-hours Clinic at Riley Park? You can continue to call 811 for after-hours care on evenings, weekends and stat holiday…
 

Stretch at your office desk

If you have a desk job, you know it is easy to spend six or more hours sitting per workday – and yes, your commute counts as sitting time. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a sedentary lifestyle can lead to poor health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and death from those or other causes. Carving out time for exercise and movement is the best defence against sitting’s negative impacts. While not everyone can squeeze in a midday exercis…
 

Cost-saving tips for healthy eating

According to Statistics Canada, the food inflation rate rose 8.7% in the last year. Skyrocketing food costs make it tough to shop for groceries and budget healthy food into our diets. Calgary Foothills PCN dietitians can teach you how to stretch your meals – from spending less on nutritious food to getting creative with leftovers. Try their money-saving tips to plan nutritious meals and snacks without breaking the bank. 1) Create a grocery list and set a budget Buying only what is on …